Album artwork for Dead Media by Hefner

In their relatively brief lifetime, between 1996 and 2002, Hefner enjoyed an incredibly productive four-album, multi-EP career. Their beautiful, concise, intelligent songs earned a fiercely loyal, cult audience and the long-term support of legendary DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded innumerable sessions. Originally released in 2001, their final album, Dead Media, found Hefner reaching out and taking risks.

Keen to break free of their indie-folk roots, they cocooned themselves in a home studio with broken analogue synthesizers, antique drum machines and battery-powered amplifiers. The band’s naivety and guile produced some curiously engaging music, with frontman Darren Hayman’s precise, economic, poetic dissections of quotidian romance draped over awkward, fuzzy beats: something like Cat Stevens covering Warm Leatherette. Dead Media caused confusion at the time and ultimately lead to the band’s break up.

However, the songs like ‘Junk’, ‘The Night’s Are Long’ and ‘When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines’ are among Hayman’s most adult and affecting essays and stand out among the finest of Hefner’s achievements

Hefner

Dead Media

Where Its At Is Where You Are
Album artwork for Dead Media by Hefner
LP

£22.99

Black
Limited to 400 copies
Released 26/08/2022Catalogue Number

WIA102LP

Learn more
Album artwork for Dead Media by Hefner
LP +

£22.99

Indies Only

Transparent Green

Limited to 300 copies
Released 26/08/2022Catalogue Number

WIA102LPC

Learn more
Hefner

Dead Media

Where Its At Is Where You Are
Album artwork for Dead Media by Hefner
LP

£22.99

Black
Limited to 400 copies
Released 26/08/2022Catalogue Number

WIA102LP

Learn more
Album artwork for Dead Media by Hefner
LP +

£22.99

Indies Only

Transparent Green

Limited to 300 copies
Released 26/08/2022Catalogue Number

WIA102LPC

Learn more

In their relatively brief lifetime, between 1996 and 2002, Hefner enjoyed an incredibly productive four-album, multi-EP career. Their beautiful, concise, intelligent songs earned a fiercely loyal, cult audience and the long-term support of legendary DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded innumerable sessions. Originally released in 2001, their final album, Dead Media, found Hefner reaching out and taking risks.

Keen to break free of their indie-folk roots, they cocooned themselves in a home studio with broken analogue synthesizers, antique drum machines and battery-powered amplifiers. The band’s naivety and guile produced some curiously engaging music, with frontman Darren Hayman’s precise, economic, poetic dissections of quotidian romance draped over awkward, fuzzy beats: something like Cat Stevens covering Warm Leatherette. Dead Media caused confusion at the time and ultimately lead to the band’s break up.

However, the songs like ‘Junk’, ‘The Night’s Are Long’ and ‘When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines’ are among Hayman’s most adult and affecting essays and stand out among the finest of Hefner’s achievements